Photography and the Writing Process

Chelsea at the station by Alexis

On using images to craft and guide your stories

As a reader, I enjoy finding an article with a photo that makes me wonder: “Is that eel laughing at me? What’s she trying to tell me?” Whatever my answer is, it may not be what the author—or the eel—originally tried to convey. And I suppose that’s all right, if just a couple of neurons spark inside my skull, the photo’s job is done and the stage is set for the words to follow. I’ll probably keep my mind’s eye on that eel’s smile as I read.

But I’ve always wondered: How do you deal with photography if you are the writer?

Before Zinibu, I didn’t use to spend much time digging through pictures to accompany my text. I just poured my ideas on a yellow pad—I’ve renewed my bond with pen and paper, will tell you more about it someday—or into a text editor, and then searched for any snapshot to portray an obvious connection with the topic at hand.

So I’ve decided to change that and make photography selection one of the initial steps in my writing process, right after coming up with a concept and a headline. Now, I don’t think of a photo just as an ornament or a clue for the reader—which it certainly can be—but rather, as a guide, as a beacon for the writer.

Take for instance the subject of this article’s photo: Chelsea, Barbie’s little sister. Let’s say I imagine she’s waiting for her train to New York, tired of living in the shadows, eager to start anew and make a name of her own as a writer in the City of Dreams. As fantastic as it sounds, I can relate and use that to set the tone and keep the focus while I write.

I may already know what I want to say, and may have an outline or a draft jotted down, but the right photograph can inspire me to better describe the angst of commuters or the useless endeavors of procrastinators. You don’t want photos vying for your reader’s attention, though; keep the images bubbling in your head, subtly interweave them with your message, and use them to keep you on track when telling your story.

Remember: To write is to roam so prepare for the never-ending journey, grab your favorite backpack, fill it with your precious tricks, and pick as many as you need along the road.

Before I go, I have a confession to make about Chelsea: I didn’t know the name of the little lass so I had to browse my copy of Forever Barbie and consult the list of Barbie's friends and family on Wikipedia. There. See? I take these things seriously.

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There’s a scene in Kill Bill: Volume 2 in which Budd’s boss says to a young, lady employee, “take a hit, be somebody, baby.” I love that scene.

Many a doubtful souls among us may find the idea of being somebody, whatever that means, enticing, so I’d like to start with the obvious public service announcement: a line of cocaine isn’t the way to go. That’s just Tarantino messing with the weaklings.

So which way then? Why, of course, be the best at whatever you do, right? That’s a fair assumption—be the smartest and be the fastest, because only by being perfect and creating perfection you’ll guarantee success. Right again, aren’t I? (And I expect you to be high-fiving the screen by now.)

The end? See you in the next article?

Hold it there.

I have my doubts about this perfection business; in fact, I…admire imperfection.

I’m not going to get into the topic of success today—I’ll get back to it in future pieces—but I’d like to talk about the relationship between perfection and the road to expertise. And to help me illustrate my point, ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles.

This may have been there for a while but I just noticed it today while looking up a few details about EBS volumes and snapshots: Amazon Web Services now offers Kindle and PDF versions of its documentation.

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